Remember Me
by Kami74
Summary: AU The casting of the original curse failed, leaving Regina wanting revenge. She casts a curse that makes it so on Emma's 24th birthday, everyone originally from the enchanted forest won't remember who she is. Emma has to break this curse with the help of a certain pirate who agrees only to help her if she helps him with his revenge on the crocodile. Emma/Killian
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everybody! I'm Kami74 and this is my second fanfiction on Captain Swan [which seriously needs to happen]. I had this idea come to me randomly so please, no flames. I thought it was pretty awesome. Anyway, I hope you all like it, because I do! :3**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything Once Upon A Time related. If I did, Emma would already be with Killian. For real.**

Chapter 1

Regina fell to her knees, sobbing into her hands. Tears came freely as one thing was made clear. It hadn't worked. The curse that had come with the price of her father; the last of her family that she cared about gone. Gone along with her last chance for revenge. She wiped away the tears remaining on her cheeks. Why hadn't it worked? Had it all been a trick?

The evil queen stood up, frustrated.

"Where are you?! Why didn't it work?!" She shouted, waiting for a response. Or a giggle of sorts. Sick freak.

When no one showed, Regina silently turned and walked back inside from the fire pit that would've served as the core of the curse. If it had worked. She went up to one of the tables in the room, and swept everything off of it in an angry rage. One of her knights then came through the entrance door cautiously.

"Your majesty?" He asked timidly, sensing her bad mood.

"What!?" She screamed at him angrily. He backed away slightly but had to convey his message.

"Um...the new princess was born. They said her name was Emma. The kingdom is celebrating." He said. This particular piece of news distressed the evil queen further.

"Celebrating?" She asked, clutching the table until her knuckles whitened. The knight began to slowly creep out of the doorway and back out to the hall. When he had left, Regina heard an all too familiar sound. A giggle. She closed her eyes and smirked.

"What's wrong dearie? Curse not work out so well?" Rumplestiltskin said, giggling at the end.

"Why didn't it work?" Regina said through gritted teeth.

"Now that's a question." Rumplestiltskin said, pointing at her, but not answering.

"Yes, one I'd like the answer to if you don't mind." She said.

"Oh, but I do mind. So, I think not." He said, infuriating her. She turned around to the table again, leaning on it.

"However," he said. She turned back around to hear him, with new hope. Perhaps this could work out after all. "There is an alternative to your original curse." He stated, with a grin on his face. Regina's eyes lit up.

"What is it? I'll do anything." Regina said desperately.

"Oh, I know you will dearie." He flicked a hand in the air.

"What is it? Can it still make them forget? Take them away?" She asked like a child who wanted to know what a certain toy would do.

"It won't make them forget themselves, but rather forget one person of great importance." He said, strolling around the room lazily. Regina looked confused.

"It makes them forget one person? That's not nearly enough." She chuckled, but it was a strained sign of laughter.

"Sometimes, only one person is exactly enough." He held up a finger.

"Who would it be though?" Regina asked, now also pacing the room. The thought of people forgetting Snow White would be perfect, but knowing her 'true love' would always pull through would make that difficult. And useless. She sighed in disgust, not knowing who would be target of such a curse.

"Now, I know who you're thinking of using it on, but take a moment to really ponder all of the possibilities." Rumplestiltskin put his hand on his chin and looked at Regina, waiting for her to catch on. When a light flickered in her eyes, he smiled.

"Emma. Their daughter." She laughed a little. "We use it on Emma. What's the spell?" She asked. He looked away quickly.

"The thing with this spell dearie, is that it won't work until the subject turns a certain age." He said, humor gone.

"How long would I have to wait?" She asked. Rumplestiltskin held up two fingers on one hand and four on the other.

"Twenty-four." He said. Regina wasn't deterred. She wanted this badly. She smiled devilishly.

"So you're saying when she turns twenty-four everyone in the kingdom will forget her?" She asked. He looked around.

"I do believe I said that, yes." He smirked. "The catch with this curse though is only people originally from the enchanted forest will forget her. Not everyone in the world will forget." He said. Regina's smile went down slightly, but she didn't care.

"I'll do it. Give me the spell." She said greedily, already imagining the faces of Emma's parents when they forgot their own daughter. Causing pain to any of the Charming family members sufficed for her. Rumplestiltskin snapped his fingers and a piece of paper appeared in front of her, floating into her hands.

"Remember though, that all-"

"Magic comes at a price. I get it." Regina finished and examined the words on the paper. So simple. She cast the curse. And this time it worked.

Emma's POV [point of view]

I sharply turned the corner, almost running into a wall of hedges. I could hear the guards shouting behind me, calling to me but I kept going. For being 23 I could move fast. My blond curls whipped behind me, being blown with the air cutting around me as I sprinted around another corner in the maze of hedges. The guards were getting tired and I smiled as I heard their footsteps become less frequent.

Finally I approached the castle, running inside as my scarlet dress swished around my legs, causing a whispering sound. I hated wearing dresses, but it was the 'appropriate attire' for a princess. I scoffed as I made my way into the kitchen, seeing cooks and bakers preparing dinner. Boring.

As I walked out of the kitchen, a set of arms encircled me, trapping them in their grasp. It was one of the knights. I struggled to get free but couldn't.

"Let me go!" I yelled as he took me upstairs to my parents. Someone still living with their parents at twenty-three. It would be funny if I wasn't the one who was living with my parents. They didn't want to let me go. The knight took me into my parent's room and dropped me unceremoniously. I brushed off my arms and stared him down until I heard a voice.

"Thank you. You're excused." My mother said. Her ebony hair shined from the sunlight seeping through the window and flowed to her waist. Her features were kind and gentle. The knight left as my father strolled into the room with a smile.

"How many times are you going to force the guards to chase you around the garden? Some of them are quite elderly you know." Dad said, sitting on the edge of his and Mom's bed. She sat next to him and their hands went together instantly, naturally.

"I'll do it until I can actually get out of here." I grumbled. Mom laughed.

"Are we that bad?" She asked, chuckling. I let out a breath.

"No, it's not that. It's that, well," I walked over to their window and stared at the forest beyond the kingdom. "I want to go out there and get an adventure. I want to live a life that I'm cut out for." I said. I'm definitely not meant for the royal life. Dad stood up and put an hand on my shoulder, turning me around.

"You are cut out for this life Emma. You'll make a fantastic queen someday." He smiled. I looked away.

"I don't want to be a queen. I want to go out and have adventures no one else would ever believe." I said dreamily. My parents both sighed.

"One day you will Emma. Until then focus on the present. Your birthday is tomorrow and there'll be a great feast. You may even find your true love there." Dad said. I scoffed.

"Let's not get too hasty." I said, gently wriggling out of his grasp on my shoulder. Mom laughed.

"You're right. We're sorry dear." She smiled. I sighed and smiled back, not wanting them to think I'd let this go, but not wanting to argue with them anymore.

"I think I'm going to skip on dinner tonight." I said walking out of their room and heading to mine. I didn't even hear if they were against it. I didn't really care. I walked to my room in a hurry, not wanting anyone to stop me.

When I got in my room I immediately changed into a navy blue tunic, black leather pants, and knee high black leather hunting boots. Now comfortable, I sat on my bed and watched out my window as the sun set, causing an orange glow to spread across the sky. A sky I would soon be travelling under. I smiled and lay down on my bed, getting tired. Tomorrow I would be twenty-four. Tomorrow I would announce I'm leaving to go find adventure. And I would sure as hell not be stopped. I'd keep running forever if I had to.

I woke up to the sound of birds chirping outside. Stretching, I stood up, still in my clothes and walked out of my bedroom door out to the hallway. It looked like no one was up. I smiled and crept down the hall to go downstairs.

"Hey, you!" I turned and saw guards running towards me. I looked around confused. Who were they shouting at. They'd wake someone if they kept it up. I shushed them and kept going down the hall. The guards continued running towards me, their armor clanking as they sped down the hall. I rolled my eyes as they circled me.

"Really?" I asked, sarcastic. Their weapons pointed in.

"Hey hey hey!" I shouted, holding my hands in front of me. The knight who had yelled approached me.

"Who are you and what are you doing in the Charming's castle?" He inquired. I scoffed.

"For real? You guys are pulling a joke on me? Well, good one. Now can we put the weapons down?" I asked, a little nervous. These guys never pull jokes. The main knight chuckled and the weapons didn't go down.

"Not until you tell us who you are and what you're doing in the castle." He said. I gave him a straight face.

"It's me, Emma." I said. He raised both of his eyebrows.

"Is that supposed to mean something to me?" He asked. I looked at him like he had grown a second head.

"I'm the princess." I said, slowly talking. He stood still and then burst out laughing.

"The king and queen don't have a daughter. Trust me, everyone would know. Especially if she was your age." He said. "Come on, escort her out Riley." He nodded towards another knight holding a sword. Riley grabbed me by the shoulders and began pushing me out of the castle.

"Stop!" I shouted. "Even ask the queen and king yourself!" I yelled. Riley stopped and gave the head knight a pointed look. He sighed and walked back into the hall, into my parent's room. A few minutes he came back with a smile on his face.

"The queen says they have no daughter, but to let this...Emma go with a horse. They think she may be sick in the head." He stated, laughing. All the other guards laughed too and Riley began to push me again. They said they had no daughter? They wouldn't do that. I could feel my face scrunch up as I pushed myself out of Riley's grip and began to walk out on my own. Something was wrong. No one even remembered I'm the princess, let alone the fact that they forgot my name entirely. They forgot. I could feel Riley's eyes on me as I walked outside and into the stables. He quickly walked in front of me and went to one of the doors and opened it, letting a brown horse trot out. He saddled it without saying a word and handed the reins to me. I climbed up, holding back slight tears. I looked down at Riley.

"Do you really not remember me?" I whispered. He shook his head.

"There is no princess here in this kingdom ma'am." He said with some respect in his voice. Or maybe it was pity, but he wasn't lying. I could tell that much. What the heck happened? Something had to have made them forget. I nodded and rode away into the woods.

**Thanks for reading people! Review, follow, favorite, and all that jazz. ^_^ I love you all!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello everyone! I'm so happy at the response I got from my first chapter. Thanks to all you guys who followed and favorited my story and even me. ^_^ That means a lot to me you guys. :) Anyway, big special thanks to my reviewers. I can't thank you guys enough, because you're showing me you liked my story enough to comment on it. Love you guys. 3**

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING. Although I'd love to, it's just not happening. :(**

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The fire burned brightly and illuminated the darkness surrounding it. I threw another log on it, causing the ashes to puff in the air and settle gently back on the ground. I shook the remaining wood chips off of my hands and sat down on a fallen tree by the fire, resting my head in my hands.

How could they all have possibly forgotten me? Even my parents forgot. I wiped away a silent tear and stared at it resting in my palm. Sighing, I slink to the ground and leaned against the tree for back support. Listening to the quiet sounds of night immediately brought a feeling of calm and I finally relaxed after a day of wandering aimlessly through the dense forest.

Slowly I could feel my eyelids begin to droop from the soothing sound of birds chirping merrily, as if nothing was wrong. The final thought that crossed my mind was I would find a way to make my parents remember; to make everyone remember.

I shot up off the cold ground and slowly eased off of the ground, stretching my back. Walking over to the fire, I stomped out it's dwindling remains and wiped my boots on the ground, clearing them of ash.

Straightening my tunic, I walked over to my horse and untied it's reigns from a nearby Pine tree. Looking at it's reigns, there was a name etched into the soft leather. Gailenn. I smiled and stroked Gailenn's head gently and then moved to mount him when something made me stop.

There was no sound besides mine and Gailenn's breathing. There was no sound of animals scampering about, no gust of wind, and not even the happy chirps of the birds were there to ease my discomfort.

"What the hell?" I asked myself and then scoffed. Princesses weren't supposed to use such profane words. I never really liked that rule. I took a few cautious steps forward and strained to hear any kind of sound. After staying frozen in spot for a few minutes, Gailenn neighed, signaling that we need to depart from our old camp. Someone could find it, track us, and then find us. Not that anyone would, but I couldn't help my paranoid thoughts from slipping through. Gailenn neighed again. I sighed.

Maybe I was overreacting. I walked back over to Gailenn and grabbed the reigns with my shaking fingers, preparing to mount. Something wasn't right, that much was clear. We had to get out of here. I took a deep breath and held it, listening once again while closing my eyes.

A long, low, and gravelly roar echoed throughout the forest causing the leaves to rustle. My eyes shot open with disbelief. No way. Another roar sounded and birds flew out of trees all around the forest, filling the sky as they made their escape. If only I was as lucky as to be able to fly away.

I hastily climbed onto Gailenn and gently nudged his sides to encourage him to move away from the direction of the roar. We could easily die if we went that way.

We slowly started to gallop away to the sound of everything scurrying through the forest in an attempt to escape. When suddenly, everything went dead silent. I held my breath again and watched the trees gently sway, adrenaline pumping through my body.

The sound of another roar had me going faster on Gailenn. It was getting closer and closer by the second.

"Come on Gailenn." I said, moving the reigns so we'd leave the area. The ground began to shake with heavy pounds on the ground. Footsteps. Heavy footsteps moving towards us. "Go!" I yelled, kicking his sides just as an ogre came crashing through a curtain of trees making them fall and block our way.

I grumbled and pulled a knight's sword out of a sheath on the saddle of the horse. I attempted to direct Gailenn around the trees, but he just wouldn't respond. The growl of the ogre behind me had my skin crawling.

When I locked eyes with it, he rushed at us and slammed it's fists into the ground, causing the forest floor to ripple effortlessly, as if it was just a ripple from a stream after a pebble is thrown in. I toppled off of Gailenn and watched as he sped away into the forest. My neck snapped back over to the ogre.

He didn't look happy at all. He bared his teeth like a rabid animal and took a step towards me, shaking the earth. I scrambled to my feet, trying to regain my balance despite the earth shaking right under my feet. He slammed his foot into the ground, and I fell to the floor, loosing all the air that I held. Breathless, I looked up and saw a giant fist coming towards me. I yelped and rolled out of the way as the fist plunged down to the ground right where I had been. I gulped and stood again.

I charged the ogre and jumped onto its back. His arms flailed wildly, trying to reach me but to no prevail. I stifled a laugh at the strange rush of energy I felt. The feeling of being free and having adventures was wonderful. I never want to stop. I knocked the hilt of my sword against the ogre's head until it fell down unconscious, causing a tremble to rush through the whole forest. I casually jumped off of the ogre and wiped my brow. I let out a hysterical chuckle and jumped in the air. For twenty-four I could kick some major ogre ass.

The feeling of being free was overwhelming. Finally I get what I want, but for what cost? The love of everyone who ever knew me? That's too heavy a price for freedom and adventure. True, I want to have adventures like this often but I have to focus. I pushed my sword through my belt loop on my waist for my tunic and then sighed. Gailenn was gone so now I'd have to continue on foot.

I looked up at the sky. The sun was almost directly over me. A little before noon. My stomach growled and I bent over slightly to try to quiet the rumbling. I needed to get some food. I wiped my hands on my pants and walked to the nearest tree, locating the moss. The village was just North of here so I followed the direction of the moss until I reached the outskirts of town.

Everyone was hustling about. I smiled. These villagers had to remember me. They all loved me, and I'm not even exaggerating. I walked up to the nearest villager and stopped them by standing in front of them. It was a rough looking man with huge biceps and a sack of flour over his shoulder.

"Hi! Um excuse me but-"

"Listen lady, move out of the way! I'm trying to deliver my flour here." He said, roughly pushing past me. I scowled and then frowned. No. Not them too. I approached another villager. This one was a middle aged woman who was hauling a cart of oats behind her.

"Excuse me ma'am, can you tell me about the princess?" I asked, wringing my hands together. She gave me a funny look.

"There is no princess in this kingdom. Only the king and queen." She mumbled and walked off. I could feel tears streak down my cheeks but I wiped the traitorous tears away and walked around town, trying to find some food. I didn't have any money but even if I had to hunt for it myself, I would be eating soon.

After an hour of wandering, I came upon a market that sold food. They were offering meat and vegetables and the mere thought of food had my mouth watering. The old lady running the cart kindly spared a chicken wing wrapped in cloth since I had no money and she smiled at me.

"Don't look so down dearie, things will work out. You've just gotta press on." She said, patting my hands and handing me a canteen of water. "Take this and go on." She said sweetly. I nodded eagerly, said my thank you and left. Dearie? Who calls people dearie these days? I rolled my eyes. I shouldn't be judging someone who gave to me generously.

I took a swig of the water and walked back out to the forest. I had to make a fire to cook the chicken. While walking through the crowd of people I heard a few people yelling.

"You took it!" A man shouted.

"Aye mate. Cause I really wanted your sack of well...whatever it was. I didn't touch anything of yours. I suggest that you find someone else to blame for what you've lost because it wasn't me who took it." A deep voice said. I pushed through the people that had crowded around the scene.

There was a burly man with torn, raggedy clothing yelling at a...whoa. A man who looked around my age with breathtaking blue eyes and black hair was standing across from the first man. He was dressed all in leather and had the look of a...pirate. I chuckled to myself. The first man's laugh stopped my chuckle dead in it's tracks.

"Give it back or I'll...I'll kill you!" The man said. The pirate scoffed.

"Over a sack of whatever? You really should take a moment to think about this mate." The pirate said.

"I don't have enough to provide for my family. That sack of food was all we could afford for this month." The first man looked down, ashamed. I felt a sudden sympathy towards him and stepped in. The pirate's eyebrows raised at my boldness to enter a 'man' conversation. I rolled my eyes and stood before him.

"If you took it, give it back." I said firmly. He laughed and a few men behind him laughed. Probably his 'crew'. His face suddenly straightened out.

"I didn't take it love." He said. I squinted my eyes at him and sighed. He wasn't lying so I turned away.

"Come on, I'll help you." I turned to see another woman talking to the first man. He sulked off with her and the crowd slowly died down. I began walking back towards the forest when a hand landed on my shoulder. Acting reflexively, I turned out of the hand's grasp and spun around with my sword, pointing it at a throat. I didn't even know I could do that. A stunned face looked back at me but his mouth quickly went up in a smirk.

"Whoa lass. You don't have to be so jumpy." The pirate said. I scoffed and continued walking towards the forest.

"Where are you going love?" He asked.

"Nowhere. I've got nowhere to go so nowhere seems like a good place to go." I said.

"That makes no sense...um?"

"Emma." I said. He caught up with me and stood in front of me.

"Well Emma, what would you say to going to nowhere together?" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. I scoffed.

"I'm not interested in that pirate." I said, smiling. He was too cocky. And extremely good looking. Too good looking for his own good.

"Come on love, I've got a name. I don't go by just 'pirate'." He said. I stopped and faced him.

"Then what's your name?" I asked. He looked down.

"I don't really go by my name anymore, so most people call me Hook because well, it's pretty self explanatory love." He winked at me and I looked down and noticed his left hand was gone, replaced with a hook. How didn't I notice that before?

"What's that from?" I asked. He took in a sharp breath.

"That, Emma, is a tale for another time." I rolled my eyes again and kept going.

"Okay then." I said.

"I'll be seeing you tomorrow Emma. Perhaps we can chat then." He said.

"How are you so sure you'll see me tomorrow?" I asked. He smirked.

"Because love, I want to see you tomorrow. I always get what I want." He said. I turned.

"Someone needs to put you in your place Hook." I said.

"Someone already had lass. I'll see you tomorrow." He said with a somber look on his face. Something I said must've upset him. He walked away and when he was completely out of sight, I sat on the ground.

Hook was a pirate that got to see adventure daily, so hanging around him wouldn't be bad. Except for the fact that I had a curse to break. I can't get distracted. I stood and walked the rest of the way to the edge of the forest, mind set. I would start searching for the answer to the curse even if it took me around the world and back.

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**Hope you guys liked this chapter! Be sure to review, follow, favorite, or whatever you so desire to do. :) Thanks for reading! Next update coming soon-ish! :P**


	3. Chapter 3

**Well hello all you readers! You're all looking very attractive today. ;) Whoa! All you guys are amazing! I have a lot of followers and favorites and it just makes my day! Keep it up, cause it's the best! ;D Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and will review, favorite, and follow. :) Enjoy all you lovely people! (Also, a little shout out to all of the guest reviewers. You're awesome!)**

**Disclaimer: I honestly don't know what I would do if I did own Once Upon A Time. Probably put Emma and Hook together, but honestly, who out there wouldn't? Anyway, since I don't own OUAT, then I guess I don't have to worry. :P**

The soft chirp of crickets kept me up that night. I stared up at the stars, thinking. So many stars, all spread out across the world. They get to see everything and anything. Sighing, I turned onto my side and focused on the leaves falling from the top of the trees. It would be Autumn soon, which means it would be cold soon. A small cold gust of wind rustled some leaves in the treetops, proving my point.

Facing the fact that I wouldn't be able to sleep, I stood up and brushed the dirt off of my pants and tunic. I stooped down and picked up my sword from the ground, tucking it into my belt.

I went down to the quiet village and walked in the middle of the empty streets. It was almost unnatural walking through here. Being raised in a loud and busy castle was far different from taking a night stroll through a calm village.

It was eerily quiet when I turned the corner and continued through the abandoned streets. They would be filled by morning with busy workers, traders, and farmers. Sighing, I made another turn.

To break this curse, I have to have a plan of sorts because if I tried to solve this unprepared...I may never see my family together again. I wiped away a stray tear and continued winding my way through the town, still unsure of my destination.

"Are ya lost, love?" A warm voice asked. My eyes went wide. How the hell did he find me?

"What are you doing?" I asked, whispering loudly. He rolled his eyes.

"Darling, I asked you a question first." He smiled. Sighing, I answered.

"No, Hook, I'm not lost. More like...trying to find my way." I said, trailing off. He scoffed.

"Where are you _trying_ to go?"

"That's just it. I have no idea on where to go." I said. Hook went quiet for a moment and then took a step closer.

"Well, might I suggest that you find out where you're going before you get too lost? It'd be a shame to lose someone like you." He winked and I cocked an eyebrow.

"Well, all that aside, you still haven't told me why you're out here." I said.

"Hmmm, I'd rather not answer that." He said, a smile creeping along his lips. I was about to say something when a shout came from down the street.

"Cap'n, are ya ready to leave yet? The crew's gettin' anxious to go." A short, grubby man with a red hat approached us and looked me over, squinting. "Aren't you that blonde from this mornin'?" He asked. I crossed my arms and nodded slowly.

"Smee, this is Emma...um, got a last name love?" Hook asked. I looked down at the ground, unsure whether I should tell them. They probably wouldn't believe me if I did; they probably wouldn't remember me.

"I don't have one that I'm willing to give out." I said. Hook shrugged and another smug smile hit his face.

"Just Emma then." Hook said to Smee. Smee nodded and turned his attention away from me.

"Are we leaving soon?" He asked. Hook tucked his fingers into his belt.

"I imagine so Smee." He said, completely oblivious to my presence now. I cleared my throat, causing Hook to look back at me.

"Yes?" He asked innocently. I opened my mouth to try to get the answer I was looking for earlier.

"What are you doing here?" I asked. Hook sighed in mock exhaustion.

"Lass, it's really not that big of a deal. I stopped for supplies. Pirates eat too." He said. I broke eye contact with his ocean blue gaze and nodded.

"I know that. I never said you didn't. You were just acting...suspicious. Anyway, I'm going to head off." I gave a little halfhearted wave to Hook and Smee and began walking away.

"Oh Emma?" Hook asked. I turned back around to face him and his little friend.

"What?" I asked. What could he possibly want now?

"My ship leaves at sunrise. You can come if you wish. After all, _you're_ the one who said you've no clue where you're going next and I know that you'd make one hell of a pirate." He winked again and began walking off with Smee as I was left to consider his words. Did I know where I was going? Absolutely not.

I shuddered. I can't really imagine living on a ship, but getting a ride couldn't hurt...could it? I mean... I stopped thinking about Hook's words to gain some sense back. He was a pirate. They care for themselves and steal from others. That's not me.

I looked off towards the direction that the two fading figures went. If I find out where to go, then there'd really be no need to hop onto his boat. Or ship. Whatever. I raised a hand to my head. I need some help. Badly. But no one here remembers me, so that throws a dent in my plan to actually ask for help.

How does one break a curse anyway?

I sat down on the side of the road to focus. I'm lost and in a town with no one who actually knows me. What do I have to lose? Not a damn thing. My family and everyone I love has already been taken away. Why not just hop on Hook's boat and live a little? I shook my head, disagreeing with my thinking.

I needed an absolute direction. I needed someone who could help me at least find a way to break the curse. Someone with...My head snapped up and I smiled. Someone with magic. I needed to find the one that my parents had been talking about for a long time. I needed to find Rumplestiltskin.

Immediately I frowned. My parents had said that he was tricky, evil, and he never stayed in one place. I bit my lip. I would have to try to find him, but to do that I would need help. I laughed at my new plan: Get some help to help me find someone who could help. That's a lot of helping.

I couldn't really ask the pirates to assist me anyhow. Pirates are always in it for themselves, however, I could use a ride to the next town...which isn't for miles by foot. If I take a boat though, I could probably make it to the next town in a few mere hours. Split decisions.

I doubt anyone here knew of Rumple's whereabouts. Besides, everyone is most likely asleep and I only have a little before sunrise to make my decision on whether to go on Hook's ship or not so that I'd have time to make it down to the docks, and I can't exactly knock on door to door asking for directions to The Dark One.

I nodded to myself, possibly coming to a decision. If I just took Hook's offer and sailed for a few hours, I could get to the next town. By then, it'd be late enough in the day that people would be out. Maybe one of them know where Rumplestiltskin has been lately.

I rubbed my hands together as a gust of wind sent chills up my spine. It was getting colder with every minute that passed. Reaching my decision, and wanting to leave the cold, I stood and began walking in the same direction that Hook had gone to get to the docks.

The wind howled and blew my hair in my face. I pushed it back and squinted my eyes so no rubble from the roads could get in them. Where had this storm come from?

Walking against the way of the wind, I tucked my arms under each other and pushed on. It got colder and colder as it got later. It seemed like hours before I could finally smell the sea even though it was only minutes.

A few ships bobbed along with the wild water. It was getting fiercer with each gust of wind. A big storm was coming. I trudged on, trying to determine which ship could belong to Hook and his crew.

Opening my eyes a little more to try to find his ship, I scoffed a little when I came to a definite conclusion as to which ship was his. At the end of the dock, there was a massive ship that was painted in shades of blue, yellow, and red. It was different from all of the other ships and it was the biggest. Figures.

Small waves splashed me as I walked down the deck to the colorful ship. Crew members were hustling about, putting down sails to protect them from the storm, and trying to keep the ship in order.

A huge wave crashed over the docks, drenching me. I gasped but kept moving. The wind blowing against my cold and wet clothes made goosebumps raise on my skin. Rain began to fall as I drew even closer to the ship at the end of the dock.

I could barely make out a figure on top of the deck by the captain's wheel. Dressed all in black with dark hair. No doubt it was Hook.

I saw his head turn in my direction and he yelled something inaudible to his crew as he skipped down some steps to make it to the lower deck, heading towards me. He stopped and waited at the top of the ramp that led to the access to his ship. I walked up it, soaking wet and scoffed as Hook looked me up and down.

"Not a bad look for you lass." He smiled and met eyes with me. I self-conciously crossed my arms and looked around at the barrels and crates on his ship. Hook turned towards a member of his crew.

"You! Go grab Miss Emma a blanket and leave it in my cabin. We'll get it later." He said. I raised my eyebrows, thinking he meant something else, and Hook rolled his eyes at me as the crew member ran off to follow orders.

"Love, it's just to keep you warm. A blanket out in the rain can't do much, can it?" He asked. He smiled devilishly after and it made me break eye contact. I met his eyes again after we stood a little while longer out in the rain. He grinned wider, showing off his perfect smile.

"Come on, let's get you inside." He placed his good hand on the small of my back and led me to a doorway located on the deck. He opened it for me and brought me inside, shutting the door behind us. Hook walked over to a desk in the room, grabbing the blanket that the crew member had retrieved off of it and unfolded it. He draped it around my shoulders and stood there as I attempted to get a little warmer. His smile faded to a serious expression.

"You warm enough?...because we could always do something else to get warm if you'd prefer." He cocked an eyebrow and I just stared at him.

"The blanket is fine." I said. He chuckled and went to sit on a bed tucked into the far left corner of the room. Hook looked up at me and considered me for a moment.

"So, lass...you've decided to come along with me and my crew?" He asked. I nodded.

"I have to get off at the next town though." I said. Hook stood up and held out his hand to me, giving me a smoldering look matched with a smile.

"Then Emma, I welcome you aboard the Jolly Rodger." He said, shaking my hand once.

**Alright, that's the end of this chapter! I really hoped you liked it and will review, follow, or favorite it! I'm really into writing this fanfiction and I'm super excited for it. So, until next chapter all you beautiful (or handsome) Captain Swan shippers! 3 love ya!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello attractive people! [Yes, I mean you ;) ] I'm sorry for the wait on this chapter but honestly, I just never seem to have enough time...which will change when summer comes! [Oh yeah! (/^•^)/ ] . **

**So, a lot of thanks for following this story and for just being awesome and waiting for the update to come. Anyway, I hope you guys like this chapter and be sure to follow, favorite, or perhaps even review! ;D**

**Disclaimer: I own everything. Really I do. I promise...Just kidding. I own nothing. Sadly. :/**

I held onto the railing of the ship for dear life as the waves crashed over the deck, soaking everyone who was on it.

The next town was only two hours away by ship and I suddenly felt grateful that I had picked the sea over walking ,for who knows how long, in the raging storm.

Another wave collided with the side of the ship, rocking it mercilessly. I tightened my grip on the railing with one hand and tried to shield my face from the rain with the other while looking out at the small speck of land in the distance. We'd be at the town soon.

"Are you holding on there love?" A voice yelled. I turned to see Hook grasping on to one of the ship's masts only a few feet behind me. With the storm going on, it was still hard to hear him. I scrunched my eyes at him, attempting to keep the water out of them.

"Is this going to take much longer?!" I yelled. Hook smiled.

"Why? Don't you like my home? I suppose it could use a few touch ups here and there, but it seems fine to me!" He shouted over the wind. I scoffed.

"The ship isn't the problem! It's more of an urgent sort of...um...thing!" I raised my voice so I could be heard over the incoming wave. Wait...the incoming... I looked back out to the sea and saw a huge wall of water heading for us. It was bigger than any of the other waves, being a little taller than the ship.

"Holy hell." I said, my eyes going wide despite the rain and the salty water launching themselves into my vision. The wave grew closer and closer until it was right above us.

"Away from the rails!" One of the crew members yelled, running to the ropes leading up to the crow's nest along with a few other members. I stood frozen to my spot, watching in awe as the monster of a wave approached and began to fall on top off of us.

An arm snaked around my waist and yanked me back in a tight embrace, securing my arms around the mast while holding onto my waist with one hand and joining my other two around the mast. The wave barreled down on the deck, flooding it with water. I rushed in whatever air I could before the water sucked it away while pushing me back into the body behind me with it's force. The grip around my midsection increased it's pressure, clutching me to it as the water level slowly went down, allowing us breath.

I gasped, coughing out the water that had snuck into my lungs. The wave died down, uncovering the ship and running off of the sides of the deck. I continued coughing as the other hand of the person holding me smacked me on my back, helping me get the salty water from my system.

"Come on lass, it wasn't that bad, was it?" Hook's rhythmic voice asked. He began laughing lightly. I let the last of the water go and cleared my throat.

"Not at all. In fact, I let waves cover me on a daily basis." I rolled my eyes and he let out another laugh.

"You, Emma... you're fun." He said. I suddenly realized that he hadn't released me from his grip yet. Hook's hold on me was tight and it sent a tingling sensation throughout my body. The heat coming from his body made me feel strangely...comfortable and for a second, I didn't want to move. My thoughts drifted away from the fact that I was sopping wet and to the feeling of his arm against my waist.

All at once, the fact that Hook's arm was around me and was holding tight made me wake up from my thoughts. Reason finally found its way to my brain. I slowly tried to wriggle my way out of his grasp around my waist, but he held me tightly.

"If I let you go, are you going to be able to follow orders? Like when someone says to back away from the rails?" He teased. I smiled.

"No promises, but I'll try." I said. He still wouldn't let go.

"Are you planning on holding me here forever?" I asked, ceasing my escape for a moment. He let out a low hum.

"Well, if you'd allow it, I'd be tempted to." He said. I froze for a few seconds.

"Actually, I'd rather just...not be stuck here forever." I said. He still held on.

"I'm warning you Hook." I said and I felt his grasp loosen...but he didn't completely release me. His arm still held me to him. Sighing, I quickly moved my arm and elbowed him in his abdomen. He folded over ,groaning, swiftly letting go.

"What the hell lass? I practically save your life and you elbow me. That's not very nice Emma." He scolded. I scoffed.

"You didn't let go." I said simply. He chuckled in a low voice and rose back up to his full height. Hook strolled over to me, mere inches away.

"You'll be paying for that later love." He grunted out, still in pain. I rolled my eyes, wiping the rain from my face only for more moisture to replace the drops I had cleared away.

"You sound so dramatic...how would I be paying for it?" I asked, shielding my fear with a straight face. Hook was still a pirate and I was on his ship. I came without really knowing anything about him and I didn't exactly have anyone I could trust onboard. He could kill me in a second. Any second. He laughed again. It seemed like he was always laughing at me. His eyes held mine for a moment as he debated what to say.

"I suppose that depends what mood I'm in at the time." He said seriously. He brushed a piece of hair off of my face gently tucking it behind my ear.

His black locks were stuck to his forehead and his blue eyes shone bluer than the ocean itself, making him look more...attractive? I questioned my own thoughts as he looked at me for a moment, taking his hand off my face. Hook quickly winked at me after, and I just scoffed at him as he made his way over to the hatch in the ground leading to the crew's quarters. Someone needed to beat the hell out of his ego, knock it down to normal size.

"Get up here!" He yelled down to the multitude of drenched crew members. There were very few above deck. Slowly, the remaining men began to make their way up to deck.

The storm's winds still raged, blowing my hair in all directions while rain fell upon my head. One member of the crew- Smee I think- took of his red hat, twisting it so the water would drip from it freely.

"Bloody weather..." He said, letting out some curses under his breath. I smiled and walked back to the railing. Frowning, I realized that we were even further from the town.

"Hook?" I yelled up to him over the wind.

"What is it lass?" He yelled back, sounding slightly annoyed as he furiously turned the wheel, deep in concentration.

"Why are we moving away from the next town?" I asked. His eyes met mine once again before he looked back out at the ocean.

"The currents are leading us away from there. It'll take a little longer to get to the town, but I'm assuming that's okay since you love this ship oh so much." He said lightly, sarcasm dripping from his voice. He smiled to himself as he focused back on leading the ship. I exhaled a breath and leaned against the rail, rain still soaking my face. It was going to take much longer to reach the next town now.

"Ma'am, if you wouldn't mind..." Smee ushered me away from the edge of the ship and back to the center by the crates. I huffed and blew a piece of my wet hair out of my face. The wind whipped it back in place and I sighed loudly. Looking back at where Smee went off to, I double checked to make sure that he was occupied with...first mately duties I guess. When I saw that he was busy, I went right back up to the rail of the ship to look out at the wild sea again.

There was something oddly...inviting about it. I never thought that I would be this drawn to the sea but even in the storm it had a strange sort of beauty. I smiled as some of the ocean mist sprinkled on my face. The wind was still howling and the rain was still pouring, but it seemed calmer now.

"A little of a rebel, aren't you Miss Emma?" Hook came up beside me, placing his hands on the rail, looking out at the sea. I scoffed.

"I'm a rebel for coming up to the rail when told otherwise? Whoa, maybe I should slow down." I rolled my eyes, even though he couldn't see it. He smirked.

"Maybe you should lass..." He said, trailing off, distracted by the hectic waves. I looked away from him and joined him in watching the storm. After a few moments he spoke.

"So, I take it that by disobeying Smee,_ my own first mate_," he looked over at me with a mock 'shame on you' face, "that you're finding the sea exciting?" He asked, meeting my eyes. Light green against cerulean blue.

"It's definitely..." I considered my words, "thrilling." I said as a rush of wind blew my hair around and another wave splashed on deck, proving my point. His eyes seemed to turn to fire at my words.

"That's one way to put it love." He grinned and then pushed himself off the rail using his weight. He began walking up to the captain's wheel and with his back still to me, he shouted, not facing me.

"The currents are finally moving in your favor lass! We should be arriving in the next town in less than a couple hours!" He yelled over the wind. The rain had stopped but the wind and waves continued on with their restlessness. I smiled and stayed by the railing until we finally came to the docks of the town. I began to walk off of the boat when I heard rushing footsteps coming towards me. I turned to see Hook striding towards me.

"So, I guess this is goodbye Emma." He said. I gave a small smiled.

"Guess so."

"It's a shame really. You would've made one hell of a pirate." I laughed.

"Maybe. Bye Hook." I stepped off the ship and heard Hook following me. I turned around again, an eyebrow raised.

"Normally when someone says goodbye, they, you know, leave in different directions." I said.

"I hear that when people say goodbye, they kiss before parting ways." He smirked and took a step towards me. My eyes widened and I took in a deep breath, letting it out awkwardly. As handsome as this man is, I'm not going to kiss him. He laughed at my confusion.

"I was joking lass...although I will be getting that goodbye kiss someday." He winked and I let out a sarcastic laugh.

"In your dreams." I said. He looked down at the ground and smiled before looking back up at me, curiously.

"So Emma, you never told me why you had to come here." He stated. I sighed sadly, looking away. Should I tell him the truth? Did I even trust him? No, I didn't trust him, but I did owe him a sort of truth for bringing me here. I met his eyes.

"I'm looking for someone. Someone with enough magic to help me break a curse." I told him. His eyebrows raised in sudden interest.

"What kind of curse?" He asked.

"A powerful one." I said, not wanting to give out anymore. He clicked his tongue.

"Well, who are you looking for?" He asked. I began walking backwards, still facing him, but wanting to leave.

"A man my parents have talked about for a while. I'm looking for a man named Rumplestiltskin." I said. Hook's eyes went wide and his posture went rigid, his whole body visibly stiffening.

**Okay everyone, I'm going to cut this chapter off here! Hope you enjoyed it! Be sure to review, follow, or favorite! I love you all! 3**


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed, and favorited! You guys are the best! Also, good news! I got a beta reader that I'm sure some of you have heard of. Her name is fungumunguss and let me tell ya, she is an extremely cool person with fabulous ideas, so thanks to her!**

**Disclaimer: I'll own Once Upon A Time the day that I marry either Killian Jones or take a trip in the Tardis with Sherlock. Yup. X)**

Killian's POV

I froze, my eyes glued to the blond's rain soaked figure. Had she just said... I took a single step towards her, my expression cold.

"Now, why would you want to be looking for him?" I asked. She raised an eyebrow.

"I already told you. Try listening." She began walking away, but I grabbed her arm, pulling her back.

"Do you even know where to find him lass?"

"I have an idea on where he could be."

"You've no clue, do you?"

"Not one. That's why I had to come here."

I rubbed my hand down my face and smirked. She's so ridiculously lost. My smirk quickly faded at her next words.

"I have to find him. He's honestly my last hope for getting everything I lost returned back to me." She said quietly. Funny. He had the opposite effect on me. I scoffed and rolled my eyes, making her look me directly in the face.

"Listen love, it'd be best to just give up your useless search now. Rumplestiltskin is not one to turn to for help."

"Why do you say that? He helped my parents out."

"But it was all for a price! He didn't just kindly offer to assist them. He works for you only if you have something he _desires_." I said, growling out my words in anger, trying to make her understand. I knew I was yelling, but she didn't even flinch at my tone.

"Well then, I'll just have to work that out when I get there. Now, it's been nice talking to you Hook, but I really have to go." She said, turning. I stopped her again, all of a sudden curious.

"You say that you came here to try to find Rumplestiltskin. Why, of all places, would you start here?" I asked, keeping my voice as calm as I could. If this girl in front me had even the smallest speck of information as to where my crocodile was...I'd want to keep her close. She shrugged.

"I don't know that I'll find him here, but I'm damn determined to find something ,or someone, to lead me in the right direction." She looked behind her at the town, anxious to get going.

I held in my anger, trying to find something to say that would make her understand. Taking a quick look at her set and firm expression, I realized that she wouldn't listen to any warning I would have to offer, leaving me with one choice. I had to go with her.

If Emma could find the crocodile, then I could finish what he had started long ago. Granted, I'd be using the lass to achieve this, but I'm sure whatever curse had been placed upon her could be remedied by other means. If the crocodile really was her last hope though...then I guess she'd have to adjust to life as it is. Unfair. I've been waiting too long for an opportunity like this. I put on my best smile and directed it at her.

"Well then Emma, I'd like to accompany you on your journey to stop this curse." She looked at me like I was mental, her face turning skeptical.

"Why on earth would _you_ want to come with me?" She asked, suspicious. It had been made clear to her that I wasn't fond of who she was searching for. I should have done better to hide that.

"I'm a sucker for a good adventure. Not to mention, that if I did let a fine lass like yourself wander off without protection, I would be damaging my image as a gentleman."

"Do you even have an image as one?" I brought my hand to my chest in mock offence.

"Ouch Emma, your words cut deep. If I do remember correctly, it was me who saved you from being swept away with the ocean waves."

"On your boat."

"It's a ship lass. Big difference." She huffed out a breath.

"Well, sorry to disappoint, Hook, but I've got to do this by myself. Gentleman or not, what I'm doing doesn't concern you, so just, no." She finished. I laughed inwardly.

"Come on love, admit it, you'd like the extra help. You said you need to find him, and pirates are VERY good at finding things. I would be an asset to you finding him. And, can you imagine..?" I cut off, stepping impossibly close to her and leaning down a little towards her face, "all the alone time we'd have?" I whispered. Emma just looked at me, frozen in place. I have that effect on most woman. I smiled victoriously at her state of speechlessness. She looked up at me, slowly inching her lips towards mine. I followed suit, and when her lips were just a hair's width away from mine...she stepped back and swung her fist at my face. I took a step back, clutching my already tender cheek. Facing her, I saw her shake her fist.

"Damn that hurt." She let out.

"That hurt _you_? You punched me!" I said, still not believing she had done just that. She stopped shaking her hand and crossed her arms.

"Yeah, I did." She said simply. I let my hand fall back down to my side, and I stood straight up, glaring at her.

"Why?" I asked. I could already feel my cheek start to bruise. She had one hell of an arm.

"You tried to kiss me! And anyway, if that punch wasn't clear enough, I'm not interested in any alone time with you." She said. I narrowed my eyes at her.

"You know, Ms. Emma, you're going to need my help." I said, certain of my own words. She took a step back.

"I'm sure I'll get over the loss of not having you near."

"Not many women do."

"Luckily, I'm one of the few who will." I sighed.

"Emma, just trust me. I can help you. I'll help you find Rumplestiltskin and reverse the curse. Just let me come along." I said, gritting my teeth. I was lying of course, but I had to get her to agree to me accompanying her. She looked up at the sky, considering my offer before looking back down at me.

"I'm good." She said, walking away towards the town. I felt my eyes bulge as she left without a thought. She definitely was different from other females. Any other woman who had been offered my assistance would've taken it in a heartbeat. I staggered after her, walking alongside her. She stopped in her tracks and faced me.

"What" I asked innocently.

"Just go back to your ship, Captain."

"I'm good. Following you would be much more exciting." I wiggled my eyebrows and continued on while she stood still.

"Why do you want to help?- Give me the truth Hook." I turned dramatically towards her.

"Because I'm in need of an adventure lass, and I have my own reasons to find the one you speak of. I think that he could be a powerful part to getting revenge on someone who's taken everything I cared about away." I said, patting my inner genius on the back. Emma actually froze at my words, and then shook her head.

"No, Hook, I've got to do this." She ran off into town, suddenly, making her plan of ditching me obvious. I smirked and began running after her, not wanting to lose one of my last chances to finding my crocodile.

Emma's POV

I turned my head to see Hook following me, catching up. Smiling, I faced forward and began dodging the few villagers that were bustling throughout the town, trying to shake him off my trail. He kept advancing but I kept running, gradually picking up speed. I've been running from palace guards my whole life, so losing him won't be too difficult. But damn if he wasn't persistent.

I jumped over a wheelbarrow being pulled by an elderly man, earning myself a few curse words and a shaking fist from the man. I heard the same response come a few seconds later, knowing it was Hook. A carriage pulled by two black horses began to cross the street, blocking any way around it. I blew a piece of my hair out of my face. Let's see him follow me now. I sprinted and then slid directly under the carriage, all the while keeping up my pace. The mud on the road from the rain splashed, but helped to propel me forward. The filth soaked into my clothes, but I pushed on, hearing Hook yell from behind me. I let out a breath of relief, knowing that if I kept running, he'd never find me. I turned the corner on the street and looked behind me just to confirm that he had stopped. No one followed me. I grinned and turned around, smacking straight into a lady. I fell onto my back and splashed in the mud, shocked. I really need to stop literally running into people. The mud covered my clothes and hair almost completely but barely got my face.

"Listen, I'm sorry ma'am." I said as I stood up. She just smiled kindly at me. She had long brown hair, hidden beneath the hood of a red cloak. She looked to be around the same age as my mother, but still held a sort of youthful beauty and glint in her eyes.

"Oh, you're fine, don't worry about it." She offered me a hand.

"I'm Red." She stated. I didn't have to think to hard on why she was called that. I gave her my hand, shaking hers.

"Emma." I said. She lowered her hand to her side and I just crossed mine. Red began laughing.

"You're a mess."

"Well yeah. Sliding and tripping in the mud has that effect." She didn't say anything more on me being incredibly dirty. Putting her hand on my shoulder, she looked into my eyes.

"Listen, why don't we go to the shop? I can pick you out some new clothes. I feel terrible for making you fall, even though it was hilarious."

"No, you don't have to do any of that-"

"And then we can stop at my house to clean you up. Honestly, your hair is suffering." I marveled at her way of speaking to me. Like I was one of her best friends. I hadn't had one of those. I looked around, unsure on whether or not to accept her offer.

"I insist. Now, stop being so indecisive and let's haul ass over to the mart before people think you're an ogre or something." She began pushing me down the street and I just followed.

After we had stopped at the mart, we went back to her small cottage in the town. I entered and she left me while I had a bath, scrubbing all the filth off of my body and cleaning the mud from my hair. When that was finished, I stepped out and changed into my new clothes. A red tunic with a cinched middle and black pants paired with knee high black hunting boots were the clothes Red had picked out. They reminded me all too much of Hook, but I didn't go against her opinion. After I was dressed, Red came in and sat me down.

"So, who were you running from?" She asked, curious. I sighed and looked out her small window, seeing the town hustle everywhere now that it was less stormy and late in the afternoon.

"Well, it's kind of a...of a...AGGHH!" I ducked under her table. Hook was standing outside in the middle of the street, looking around, his face fierce. He was angry. Red jumped a little at my reaction and then looked outside, following my previous gaze. After a while, she gasped.

"IS THAT WHO YOU'RE RUNNING FROM?!" She asked loudly. I shushed her and slowly crept up to my chair, keeping my face out of view from the window.

"Yeah." I put my head in my hands. Red continued to openly stare at him.

"Why would you run from that...gorgeous man? And can you tell me where to pick one up?" I sighed.

"I'm running because I have to do something alone. I don't really wanna talk about it." I said. She smiled at me for a moment before returning her gaze to Hook.

"Well hell, I'll go throw myself at him...unless you two have something.." she wiggled an eyebrow at me. I scoffed.

"He wishes."

"Hey, if you don't want him, I'll take him." She said. I could tell she was kidding, but her open admiration towards him astounded me.

"Be my guest." I leaned back into my chair. She rolled her eyes and faced me.

"I'm joking. Now, go out there and show your man your new look."

"He's not my man."

"Well, once he sees you, he'll want to be."

"No, I don't even like him like that! I've known him for maybe two days!" I shouted under my breath.

"Just saying, he's hot and you two would be adorable together."

"Wow. That's some great insight for this situation. Red, I swear, he's not looking for me so he can woo me." I said.

"Listen Emma, take a chance on him! He's HOT and has got this whole, 'I'm-evil-and-devastatingly-sexy' thing going on! Now, get out there!" She repeated. I ran a hand through my hair. Hook was good looking, I'll give him that, but I didn't know him well enough to even get remotely close to him. I'm not sure I want to know him that well.

"I'm going to have to pass Red. Just listen. We're NOT getting together. Hell, I'll be lucky if I don't see him ever again. Trust me, what I'm doing is a one person thing." Red sighed in defeat.

"Fine, but I still think you should get out there."

"No thank you." I saw Hook walk away and I let out the air I had been holding in.

"So, why are you here?" Red asked, her full attention on me now. I clutched my hands together on the table.

"I'm looking for someone. Well, me and Hook are looking for the same person, but I wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw him."

"Honey, he looks to be made of muscle. You'd be lucky if you could pick him up."

"Not the point. Anyway, I heard rumors that said I could find directions to find him from this town." Red stood up.

"I'm pretty sure I can help you find anyone. My sense of smell is fantastic." I raised an eyebrow at this, not sure if I even wanted to ask and then shrugged.

"If you could get me started in the right direction, but you're not coming along with me." I said firmly. She grinned and walked out of her house with me following.

"Just tell me who they are and I might be able to get you started." She stated, looking around.

"Their name is Rumplestiltskin." Red froze and looked at me.

"Now why on earth would you be looking for him?" She asked, eyes wide. Not again.

"Just, I have to find him okay? You're nice and all, but I would rather not share the details." I said, feeling bad that I couldn't share the whole story. She just looked at me, respecting my request but her face filled with worry.

"Lucky for you, his scent is one that I can always pick out from the rest." She said, almost sorrowful. "He's good at covering his tracks, but you can't really cover up his scent if you tried." Red began smelling the air, walking in different directions. It almost looked too ridiculous for words. We got a few stares from people walking along the road and I was about to ask Red to stop when she sprung up to her full height, looking at me.

"He went south east. Continue on that direction until you reach the next town, then ask around. His scent's pretty recent so he can't have gone too far. It was almost too easy to smell him out..." she trailed off. I grinned at her and thanked her. She smiled sadly and ran inside her house, coming out with a black hood.

"Take this. It can get cold at night. Good luck on your journey Emma. Come back and visit me sometime." She said. I hugged her lightly and took a step back.

"Thank you again Red." I said, feeling happy that I was at least one step closer to finding the man I was looking for. She waved good bye and I turned, walking down the street.

"Oh, Emma?" Red called. I turned to face her.

"Say hi to your hottie for me when you see him next, okay?" I rolled eyes.

"I won't be seeing him again."

"You never know Emma. Fate has a way of messing with your plans." She winked at me and turned into her house, shutting the door behind her. I sighed. She really is delusional. I put on the cloak and pulled the hood over my head, continuing on the path Red had instructed me to follow.

Killian's POV

I walked aimlessly around the streets of the small town, searching in practically every corner for Emma. She was good at hiding, but I knew I'd find her eventually. I ran a hand through my damp hair and looked around carefully, determined to find Emma. She was the way to finding my crocodile.

Squinting my eyes to try to get a better view down the street, I spotted a black cloak move through the crowd. Straightening my posture in interest, I moved to the side of the road to avoid being seen. When the figure turned its head, I saw long blond wisps of hair fall out of the hood. I smiled and admired her figure walking down the street. She had put up a good chase. I ran down the street, careful to dodge big puddles that would cause a loud splash. The only thing that ran through my head was, 'I've got you now Emma.'

**Well, thanks soooo much for reading! I'll update as soon as possible and please follow or favorite! Reviews make me happy! I love you all! :D**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey everybody! I'm super stoked about this chapter! I've decided to put all other stories I have going on hold for this one. Sorry about such a late update, but I do have an excuse! I was out of town for a while, so there was no way for me to write anything up! So, wow. Thanks so much to all of the followers, favorites, and especially reviewers. You guys make it so much easier to write! An extra big thanks goes to my beta reader fungumunguss! You're amazing!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own a single thing, much to my own disappointment. :1**

Emma's POV

I took a deep breath, letting the crisp storm air fill my lungs. For the first time in a while, I finally felt like I could take a second to just breathe. Hook was gone and I had a lead on how to find the answer to my current problem. Everything was going a lot better than it should be. I frowned and mentally waved that thought away, not wanting to bring myself down.

Strolling down the streets of the small town, I heard a loud shout come from one of the buildings just down the road. A few more yells sounded out before I figured out which building had caught my attention. I smirked and walked towards the source of all the noise, entering the small space confidently. A small distraction wouldn't hurt my progress much, and besides, I deserved a break, even if it could only be about five minutes. I almost laughed when all of the men, and a few women, had gone silent upon me entering. I strode up to the bar inside the pub and approached one of the barstools. As soon as I sat on my chair, the noise started up again, louder than before.

I crinkled my nose. The smell in here was foul, and the only things to see worthwhile in the dingy pub were a couple of men spitting verbal abuses at each other and an old man shouting out things in his drunken state. I smiled at him. Back at the castle, everything had always been so organized and formal. It was nice to finally feel a little free and have no restrictions on what I say or do.

The barman suddenly approached me with a large glass mug in one hand and a cleaning rag in the other. He had on stained clothing and a soaked waist apron, most likely from all of the drinks he had been serving, not that the apron did much good for him. His hair was a dark amber and his eyes were a startling shade of brown, sprinkled with green flecks. His weight made the floor beneath him creek with every step he took and his face looked menacing enough to make most people avoid eye contact and keep on doing whatever they were doing. Luckily for me, I'm not most people and I wasn't really doing anything at the moment.

"What can I getcha?" He cleaned out the mug and put it behind the counter, turning his full attention to me. I was about to answer when another voice sounded.

"Nothing for her, mate." My eyes widened. Please no. Damn it, I had been so close to escaping this town. I should've left immediately. I let out a breath and looked to my right, seeing Hook sit down on the stool next to me. He shot me a smirk.

"Miss me love?"

"Wholeheartedly."

"I knew you couldn't resist my charm."

"Oh believe me, it was hard." Hook shot me a glance, still smiling. Why did he look so happy?

"That was sarcasm, Hook."

"My ego did not take it as such." I sighed and looked up at the ceiling, closing my eyes.

"Oh, show some mercy. I can't be stuck with him. Just, strike him down or something." I said at the heavens, loud enough for Hook to hear. He rolled his eyes but then brought them back to me.

"So, what brings you to the pub? It's not really a place for a lady, Emma." I scoffed at that, turning towards him.

"I'm far from being just a lady." I said, the hidden meaning behind my words almost made me laugh. I wasn't just a lady at all. I was a princess. I looked back down at the counter and clasped my hands together in front of me. I let out a sad chuckle and glanced at the bartender. Hook began laughing in a deep voice and I warily faced him. Did I really want to know why he was laughing? No, but I'd find out anyway.

"What?" I sighed out, waving the bartender over. He shot me a nice grin and finished talking to one of the other men at the bar.

"It's just, I can't really imagine that a LADY like you would actually walk into a pub. Not that you knew any better," he paused, getting my attention, "but, being a man, I make frequent visits to the bar. Basically lass, you almost made it too easy to find you. It's pathetic really." I cursed under my breath. Had I really made it too easy? Of course I had.

"Not as pathetic as following a woman around all day like a lost puppy." I said. He shut up, but I saw him smirk before the bartender came over.

"Want somethin' after all?" He asked. I rolled my eyes.

"Just a beer." I said. Hook turned towards the man.

"And I'll have the same." He said. The bartender shot me a smile and went to go get the drinks. Hook nudged me with his elbow.

"I think he likes you, Emma."

"Well, I can't really get upset about that. He's got great taste." I said, watching the man bring our beers over. He put the mugs on the bar in front of us and leaned on the counter towards me.

"I'm Victor." He smiled again. Hook scoffed and I shot him a glance, telling him to shut it.

"Sorry Victor, but I'm not really interested." I said as I took my first sip of beer. His smile only went down a little.

"Oh it's fine. A bird like you...are you with this man?" He asked suddenly gesturing to Hook. I laughed out loud.

"Far from it Victor. Far from it." I said. Victor chuckled and walked away to the other customers on the other side of the bar. I had no desire to be with Hook. I looked over at him, seeing him chug his beer down, a few drops dripping down his chin.

"That's attractive." I said, not being able to hold the sarcastic comment in. He slammed the now empty mug down on the table and wiped his chin with one hand.

"You've barely even touched yours lass. Are you sure you're not just a lady?" He shot back. I glared at him. Oh, he asked for it.

Just as I was about to take a long drink of my beer, the sounds of a fight filled the tavern. I quickly turned to see two men throwing punches at each other. As one went for the other's nose, the man ducked, causing the punch to hit a VERY large man in the back of the head. Everyone grew quiet, watching as the large man's head turned slowly towards the cause of the blow. Seeing the smaller man, he let out a grin and yelled out, tackling the man to the ground. After that, chaos broke out. Everyone began to be pulled into the fight. I smiled when I saw my chance. Turning to Hook, I chugged all my beer, WITHOUT looking like a sloppy pig, and slammed the mug down on the counter as he had. Finally, I stood up silently, and took off my cloak, handing it to him. He took it, confused. I winked at him before turning around and jumping into the fight. Time to see if those self defense classes I had taken at the castle did me any good.

The first man I came across froze at my appearance, unsure. I made up his mind for him by slamming my fist across his face first. He fell back a few feet and then looked up at me, sneering.

"You asked for it blondie." He spat out, swinging his fist back. I ducked, making him punch another man in the back. The man I had been fighting became distracted by the man he had punched and I took my opportunity. I dropped all the way to the floor and kicked his feet out from under him. He gasped and fell, hitting his head on the ground, knocking him out. I turned my attention to the man that had been punched in the back. He had finally turned around, shocked to see me there. He laughed and waved me off. I scoffed and elbowed him in the ribs, hearing a crack. He doubled over in pain and I took the opportunity to land a good blow on his head, making him fall down on top of the first man.

**Killian's POV**

My eyes went wide. Bloody hell, she could fight. Turning in my seat, I ordered another drink, adjusting on my chair so I could get a better view of the show.

**Emma's POV**

After that man fell, I drew the attention of another man. His eyes were like saucers and he just stared. I stared back, neither of us moving. Finally, he charged, holding a knife in his hands. Not fair, but I could deal with it. He immediately went for my face, slashing the air as I jumped back. He continually slashed in front of me until I finally backed up against the bar.

"Enjoying yourself love?" Hook asked, a few seats down. I only let my gaze flicker to him for a moment, keeping my eyes on the approaching knife slinger.

"You know it. Sure you don't want to join in?" I asked as I brought my leg up, kicking the man with the knife in the abdomen. Hook just took another drink of his beer.

"Nah, I'm good. Glad you're having fun though." He said. I rolled my eyes, something I found myself doing a lot around him, and charged back at the man. He was now clutching his chest. When I got close enough though, he swung his hand out, effectively cutting my right hand across the palm. I hissed out a breath, bringing my hand to my chest. He began chuckling and stood up straight. I felt my eyes fill with anger and when I met my eyes with his, he stopped laughing and focused back on me. I let out an angry cry and ran at him. He got his knife ready and when I was only a few feet away from him, I slid down on the ground, sliding between his legs. Before he could turn around, I stood up behind him, kicking him in the back. He fell forward and before I could reign in my anger, I kicked him in the groin, making him yell out and stay on the ground. Good. I flipped my head up, causing my hair to spread out around me before it settled on my shoulders. Who was next? I looked up to see all the other men staring at me. I grinned and took a step forward, interrupted by the tavern door slamming open. Everyone's eyes shot to the disturbance. In the doorway was a short man, his face covered with alarm.

"The queen's guards are here!" He yelled out. There was a moment of complete calm before everyone began frantically running to the exits. I cautiously made my way back to the bar, narrowly avoiding all of the bodies trampling each other down. When I got there, Hook grabbed my arm.

"Time to go lass." He said, sprinting out the door while pulling me along. When we were outside, the overwhelming sound of screams filled my ears. I looked down the road and saw a lot of the queen's guards riding towards us on jet black horses. There had to be at least fifty. Fear filled my eyes and froze all my limbs in place.

"There! Get them!" One of the guards shouted, speeding towards us. Hook's voice brought me out of my stupor.

"Emma, now is not the time! Keep moving!" He yelled yanking on my arm, making me run. We ran side by side, barely keeping ahead of the horses, but they were gaining fast. My eyes bounced around, taking in the surroundings. An exit, we needed an exit. The sound of horsehooves pounding on the ground grew louder, making a shot of adrenaline rush over me. Looking to my left, I noticed a small alley that cut through a couple of streets.

"Come on!" I yelled, pulling Hook with me over to the alley. He stumbled a little but quickly brought up his speed. We ran through the alley, jumping over little fences and sliding under clothes lines. I turned my head back; the number of guards had decreased drastically. Now there were only ten of them. I faced forward and kept running. The rush of air from running stung the cut in my hand. I clenched my fist, feeling the blood run over my hand and drip onto the ground. I bit down on my cheek, trying to stop the pain from focusing on my palm.

"So," I shouted over at Hook, "do you know why we're being chased?" I asked. He shook his head.

"Not at all, although I admit to wanting to know why." We jumped over another clothes line, earning a few shouts from an elderly woman. Hook turned his head around to look at our followers.

"Only about five left." He said. I scoffed incredulously.

"Really?"

"Yeah...I'm certain we could take them." I considered this.

"Do you really want to find out why we're being chased bad enough to risk possible imprisonment, torture, beatings, or even death?" I asked. My parents had warned me about how bad the Evil Queen could be. She didn't have the word evil in her name for nothing.

"Well, yes."

"Fine. Let's stop up here by the...bakery?" I said, squinting to make sure it was a bakery. He nodded, grinning from ear to ear. The man was going to get us killed. We halted in front of the bakery waiting for the horses to catch up. I cursed under my breath when they reached us and began circling around us on their horses, but Hook just looked unimpressed. His reaction to the guards made me relax a little. If he wasn't worried about them, then I wasn't going to be. The horses drew in closer, making my back touch Hook's. Finally, they slowed and the guard who had shouted earlier began to speak (or in this case, shout) to us.

"Do you realize what you've done?! Do you know why you're being sought after?!" He yelled, obviously upset. I turned my head slightly, causing it to bump into Hook's.

"Act drunk." I whispered to him. He nodded and began stumbling forward towards the head guard while I pretended to trip when the support of his back left me. Would we really be able to fool them? I mean, we had just run while dodging things that even royal horses couldn't.

"Now, listen," Captain Hook belched and held a hand to his chest for a moment before continuing, "here mate." He 'tripped' over his own foot, making the guards laugh at him. Hook just stood and pretended like it didn't happen.

"We've got a perfectly good idea as to why we're being...why we're being...what are we being, love?" He asked, throwing the question over to me. I let out a giggle and somehow summoned a small burp to leave my throat.

"Well, I'm not sure," I looked around us stupidly, letting out another giggle, "but I think we're still being chased." I said, running in small circles. The men began to laugh; all except the head one. This was humiliating, but if it would keep us alive, then I'm not going to complain. It was my plan after all.

"Wrong, miss. You're being hunted down because you are in violation of some of the Evil Queen's laws. You've caused a local fight and disturbance, and you have run from authority, which is punishable by arrest." He stated. He thought we started that bar fight? I couldn't really disagree with the disturbance part though. We had just run over people's clothes lines. Oh, and when Hook was chasing me for the first time. That did cause some trouble, and of course I couldn't disagree with the running from authority. Honestly, that had been fun. I didn't let my thoughts have any influence on my expression, trying to keep my face looking drunk and clueless. Hook began throwing words out, staying in character.

"We thought you guards just wanted to play a little game of tag." He rested his head against one of the horse's heads and brought up a finger, gently touching the horse's ear.

"Tag. You're it." He said, falling to the floor and staring at the sky. The guard just looked completely lost at that point. Hook gasped.

"Emma, you've got to see this view!" He said. I complied and fell to the floor unceremoniously, my face landing next to his boot. I just started at the boot and opened my mouth.

"The view IS amazing!" I yelled out, even though it was a total lie. His boot actually looked really gross. The head guard sighed and hopped off his horse, that being the silent signal for the other guards to do the same. They all stood over at us, marveling at our stupidity.

"So what do we do? They're still guilty." One of them pointed out. I moved around so my head was facing Hook's.

"We take them in. The queen will know what to do with them." The leader said. Hook mouthed a word to me and I tensed up.

'_Now_.'

I swung my legs around, making three of the five guards fall down on their stomachs. I jumped onto my feet and quickly kicked one of the guard's helmets hard enough to knock one of them out. Hook sprinted to his feet and began fighting with the two that hadn't fallen, leaving me with the two remaining. One of them swung their fist, making solid contact with my cheek. I felt blood rush down my cheek. My eyes darted to his fists, seeing the thick metal gloves. Not fair. I scowled as he approached again. He brought his fist closer to my face and I waited; I waited until it came mere inches within my face before grabbing it and swiftly sliding the glove off of his hand, bringing it to the open part of his helmet so it smacked the front of his face. He grunted and stumbled back a few steps, clutching his face. The other guard looked at him, shocked, before turning to me. He sneered before pulling out his sword. Definitely not fair. I backed up again and jumped when I hit something. Glancing back, I saw it was Hook. He had yet to take out even one guard. Amateur. Granted, I had had the element of surprise when I took out the first guard.

"Wanna help me out love?" He asked as we turned in a circle, back to back.

"Are you actually admitting to needing my help?" I asked. He scoffed and I furrowed my brow as the rest of the guards pulled their swords out and drew nearer.

"Yes, although it pains me to say it, you do fight well." He muttered out, raising his fists. I shrugged.

"Fine, let's just get this over with, and then we can go our separate ways." I said, eager to keep moving on with finding this Rumplestiltskin. Hook laughed.

"That's what you think darling." He said, pulling out his own sword. I felt left out being the only one without a weapon. Hook ran at one of the men, crashing their swords together while I narrowly dodged getting my head cut off by one of the other guards. I looked over and saw Hook kick the man he had been fighting in the chest, pushing him back. I ran over to him, bringing two guards on my trail, and caught his eye. He nodded at my unspoken question and quickly put his sword away. He laced his hands together and crouched down. I sprinted to him and put my foot on his laced hands as he launched me backwards in the air. I landed on one of the guard's backs, bringing him down to the ground and effectively knocking him out cold; maybe even breaking a bone or two. I rolled off of the passed out guard and looked up to see Hook fighting two of the guards with his sword, easily keeping up. I heard a growl and looked up to see the guard that I had smacked in the face. Fabulous. He brought his sword down and I rolled to the right, looking at the sword that was lodged in the ground where my head had been a moment before. I stood and began circling around the infuriated man.

"Maybe the queen won't have to deal with you; it's hard to deal with a corpse." He spat at my feet. I kept my face impassive, not letting emotion show as I gasped for breath. Blood was still dripping down my cheek and I was starting to feel lightheaded. He cried out and ran the few steps over to me. I dodged his sword and crashed my fist against his throat; it hadn't been covered with enough armor to stop the pain. He dropped his sword and croaked, trying to rake in as much air as he possibly could. He staggered closer to me and got a punch in on my middle. I doubled over and fell to the floor with him looming over me. He chuckled, still not catching his breath. Reaching out, I grabbed the sword that he had dropped and swung it at him. It lodged into his upper leg, making him scream out. A very girly scream at that. I stood, keeping my hand on my abdomen. I think he had actually managed to crack one of my ribs. At least it wasn't broken. I left the man on the floor and was about to turn towards Hook to see how he was doing when I was tackled to the ground by a heavy weight. I managed to flip while falling so I landed on my back and not my stomach. The guard's weight was pressing into my legs and he brought his sword up in the air, getting ready to run me through.

"HOOK!" I yelled out, afraid that that would be the last word I ever said. The guard got a malicious glint in his eyes and began to bring his sword down. I closed my eyes and waited, expecting everything to go black forever after a sudden jolt of pain. When that didn't happen, I looked up and saw the guard gasping for air. A sword had been run through his middle and he slowly tipped over, falling off of me. I looked up and saw Hook smiling down at me, offering me a hand to help me up. I took it and when I was at my full height, I glanced at the five bodies littering the space in front of the bakery. That probably wouldn't do good for sales.

"Thank you." I said silently. Hook grinned and gave me a solid pat on the arm as he walked over to the guard that had tackled me, pulling the sword out of his middle, and placing it back in his sheath.

"I don't mean to upset you Emma, but I think we make quite the team." I just stared at him.

"Let's go Hook." I said. He followed me out of the area but before we could go, I heard a low voice. I glanced down and saw the man with the sword in his leg. He was pale and losing blood fast. Seeing all of his, I subconsciously wiped away some of the blood still dripping from my palm and face.

"The queen will find you. You will not get away." I scoffed.

"Considering all I know about the Evil Queen, she wouldn't give a damn about losing five guards." I said, walking away with Hook again while clutching my injured hand to my chest, being careful of my rib. As far as I could tell, Hook had gotten away with minor injuries; just a few cuts here and there. Lucky pirate. We walked in silence for a while until we reached a fork in the road, one going back to his ship, and the other going the direction of the next town. I needed to get to the next town and he needed to get to his ship. Thinking this was obvious, I walked down the road to my next destination, stopping when I noticed Hook was following me still. I sighed and turned around, raising an eyebrow.

"Are you lost?" I asked.

"Not unless you are, love." He said.

"You're not going with me." I crossed my arms.

"I actually believe I am. You owe me Emma." He said. I scowled.

"What on earth do I owe you for?" I asked him. He scoffed.

"Were you not there a few moments ago lass? You owe me your life. I think I bloody well deserve to come with you. Besides, you're going to need my help." He smirked and folded his arms, mirroring me. I felt my eyes narrow. I did owe him my life and as much as it pained me to admit, he did deserve to come. He had fought alongside me, AND he had saved my life. Looking back on the fight we had won, I realized that I would need him along. I just had to remember to keep him at a distance; I still couldn't fully trust him.

"Fine."

**Thanks for reading! Reviews make me smile! :D**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys, sorry for the long break. :) I hope you're still enjoying the story so far. :D GOODNESS, I LOVE YOU ALL.**

**I am so flipping excited for series three. AAAAAGGGGHHH. Why must it be so far away?! :/ Oh well. **

**Huge thank you to my patient beta, fungumunguss. She's the bomb dot com you guys.**

**Disclaimer: Nothing is mine besides the plot line. Darn.**

"I knew you'd come to your senses, love." Hook gave me a pat on the shoulder and gestured for me to continue on. I rolled my eyes, deciding not to even reply. Shooting him a narrowed glance, I turned back to the direction I had originally been headed and continued walking, now with Hook at my side. We advanced towards the next town in silence, though it wasn't awkward. A little out of character for him, but not awkward. I had almost begun to believe that he had lost the ability to speak altogether, based on the lack of an argument right now, but he soon remedied that thought.

"You know Emma, I've just realized how much trouble you really are."

"Oh, is that so?" I asked, my voice dead. I honestly couldn't care less about what he realized.

"Yes. You draw attention to yourself so easily, and that never did any good to anyone trying to maintain stealth throughout a quest."

"This is not a quest."

"Then what exactly would you call it Emma? Enlighten me." He clasped his hand and hook together behind his back, smirking.

"I would call it none of your business."

"Your words truly do cut deep."

"Not deep enough apparently, you're still here."

"And you should thank me for being able to put up with you."

"No, what I should do is kick your sorry-"

"Now Emma, that's no way to act towards someone who has recently just saved you from death."

"Don't remind me Hook. I'm already letting you tag along. So, if I were you, I wouldn't push my luck."

"Let's just remember which one of us here has the sword." I rolled my eyes at his words and lightly kicked a rock in front of my as we continued on, having nothing else to say to him. I kept to the road that Red had pointed me to and ignored the presence of the pirate for a long while, content to just walk along in silence. Hook, however, was not.

"So you're sure you're headed in the right direction?" I let out an impatient sigh.

"I've told you the same answer every time you ask. Yes, I'm sure. Now, shush so I can think." I closed my eyes for a brief moment, still pressing on through the twists and turns the path had created, holding my injured hand to my chest.

"Think about what?" I opened my eyes, feeling rage build up in me. Looking over at him, I raised an eyebrow.

"You just wouldn't understand. Now, keep walking." I let my thoughts travel to my mom and dad. Was life really no different for them now? Could they not feel that something was missing from their lives? I remember mom and dad had told me so much about true love and how they could always find one another. Did they not love me enough? I shook my head at the thought. Of course they loved me. They were just under a curse. A stupid curse that I had to fix.

"You'd be surprised on what I can and can't understand lass. I've seen a lot, perhaps more than you." I snapped out of my daze and took in his words.

"Certainly more than me." I mumbled.

"What was that?" He asked, leaning closer. I waved a hand, dismissing my words.

"Nothing, just talking to myself."

"You know, that's a sign that you could be going insane."

"If you keep talking to me, I'm certain that I will go insane."

"Look love, I'm just trying to hold a conversation. If we're going to be travelling together, then it's best to get to know each other now." I sighed, ignoring the pain it caused by my ribs, and rubbed my uninjured hand across my forehead, staring at the darkening sky. We had been walking for hours.

"You're right." I said. Hook's eyebrows both shot up and he looked all around.

"You said that to me, right?" He asked mockingly.

"Oh shut up." I smiled to myself and had begun to laugh, but after the shooting pain that coursed through my middle at my laughter, I quickly wiped the grin off my face, hiding my pain from Hook. Oblivious to my pain, he chuckled in a deep tone and looked up at the sky, noticing it darken almost as quickly as we walked. He frowned slightly.

"This town is extremely far away. It's bloody ridiculous. Couldn't they have built them closer to one another? Honestly." I nodded in agreement. I knew we were headed in the right direction, but this was growing tedious. I let out a shaky breath, growing weak but kept walking. Hook kept pace until it had almost become too dark to see.

"Emma, we need to stop for the night. Otherwise, one of us, and it won't be me, are going to trip and injure themselves further than they already are. You should let me take a look at your injuries." He offered. I shook my head.

"No, let's just find a place to camp. I'll be fine." I said, keeping my voice steady. I may owe him my life, but that doesn't mean he's suddenly my best friend or care giver. I could take care of myself just fine. He looked over at me uneasily, obviously not willing to abandon this fight.

"We'll talk about it once we find a place for the night." He said, effectively ending the conversation. For now. Hook led the way through the dense forest, staying light on his feet. Not that there was anyone out here. I guess he just liked being careful. I followed suit and continued after him silently. He suddenly stopped, causing me to bump into his back. I could barely see in this light, so it's not like bumping him was my fault. He turned his head towards me smirking.

"No need to throw yourself at me Emma." I rolled my eyes.

"My apologies." I spit out sarcastically. He either didn't notice my tone, or payed no mine to it as he looked around.

"This'll do. Make yourself comfy, love. I'm going to go find some firewood." He said. I suddenly felt the need to pass out, but not wanting to feel useless, I offered my help.

"I'll come with you." My voice betrayed me, having a tone that suggested I was dying. Although I knew I was far away from that, I had to admit I sounded miserable. Despite that, I kept my facial emotion held together, almost like a mask. My middle kept thumping in time with my heartbeat and I started to feel a little dizzy. Hook almost laughed, but held it in, instead having a concerned look on his features.

"No, you need to stay here. Can't have you pass out on me. Well, not from being sick anyway." He winked and I scowled as he left. I felt a little relieved after he was out of seeing distance. I let my guard down slightly, slowly sitting on the ground, wary of my rib. I relaxed against a fallen tree and stared at the sky, bringing my good hand up to my forehead and coming back with blood. Still fresh. Surprised that I had even made it this far without blacking out, I wiped the blood from my hand on the grass. Silence crept around me, only being broken when a few crickets decided to play their music together. I closed my eyes, finding it easy to just sit back. Especially when my eyes felt so heavy...

"Oh no you don't. Come on Emma." Hook pushed me lightly until I looked up at him.

"I'm so tired. Just let me sleep." I begged him. He kept a steady gaze on me.

"Not until you let me help to heal your wounds." I snapped awake at that.

"No." I scooched farther away from him until I didn't have the strength to move anymore. Hook let out an annoyed sigh.

"Emma, you've already lost a lot of blood from your head wound just let me-"

"No." I said, keeping my eyes on his. I didn't want to have this argument. "All I need is some sleep." He broke eye contact with me at that, staring at the ground. Finally, he looked back up.

"Fine." Was all he said. I saw him head towards a fire pit he must have made while I had been dozing off. He carefully lit a fire, sending a warm glow across everything it's light reached. All I could see was the silhouette of Hook before I closed my eyes and dozed off.

The warm light that had seeped through my eyelids to light up the dark was suddenly cut off. It was enough to send my senses into overdrive. I was about to open my eyes when I felt something wet dab at my cheek. I sat still, keeping my breath even so I could maintain the illusion that I was asleep. When the wetness of what felt like a cloth left my face, my eyes immediately split open. I wish I had kept them closed. Hook was on his knees right in front of me, looking down at the wet piece of cloth. While his eyes were away, I tried to move but found I couldn't. He had tied my hands together behind me and had also tied my legs together. The git. I felt anger boil up inside me when he met his eyes with mine. I adjusted my back on the fallen tree and glared at him, already trying to work out of my hand restrictions. Hook just looked at me, amused. I stared him down until he began to talk.

"You know, normally, I like to tie woman up, but you proved to be quite the challenge." He said. My eyes went wide.

"Is now really the time?" I asked incredulously. He shrugged and pulled out an older looking flask, dripping some of the liquid inside it onto the cloth in front of him.

"Untie me Hook." I said. I didn't want to be touched by him. I didn't want help in healing my cuts. I wanted to be let go.

"Emma, you're hurt. I'm not going to stand here and just watch you bleed, although I should considering how much attitude you give me." He said trying to lighten the mood just a little. It didn't work.

"I can do it myself."

"No doubt, but looking at the positions we're in, I'd say you're in no condition to do it yourself."

"Then untie me." I said through clenched teeth. When I get loose, I'm going to hit him. Or kick him. Perhaps maim him.

"If I did that love, then where would be the fun in all of this?" He asked, teasing. I shot him a glare that practically radiated coldness. Hook sighed.

"Emma, I'm only trying to help you." He said, in a tired tone. I looked away.

"I didn't ask for your help."

"No, but you need it." He said. I scoffed while he brought the cloth up to my face. Right when he was about to make contact with my wound, I moved my head.

"Honestly Emma? Are you trying to be difficult?" He asked. I looked away while he let out another sigh.

"Fine have it your way." He placed the cloth onto his hook, freeing his right hand. I looked up at him in shock as he brought his hand to my face, cupping my cheek. He ran his thumb over it and gave me a half smile. Confused, I began to raise an eyebrow. I was stopped when he placed the cloth on my cut.

"Aagh! What the hell is that?!" I asked, trying to move my face away from the stinging pain that the cloth had caused to run up my face. Hook held my face steady while he continued to run the cloth over the cut.

"It's rum. A bloody waste of it." He murmured. I scowled at him, but kept quiet. His face was mere inches away from mine, and I had to admit, it made me a little uneasy. He met my eyes and also seemed to take in how close we were. His reaction was to smirk and wink. When he finished wiping the cut on my face, he slowly lowered his face so it was level with mine, a look of amusement shining in his ocean blue eyes. He came closer and closer until our lips were only an inch apart, our breath mingling in the air.

"I'm going to take a look at your hand now, and I would prefer it if you didn't swing at me. Can you do that?" He asked in a whisper. I nodded my head like some infatuated school girl, pretending to be unable to speak at his closeness. It was, however, really unsettling and it caused most of my thoughts to halt completely, but I kept my face a mask of what I was going to do.

"Good." He said smoothly. He cut through the ropes on my hands with his hook and gently grabbed the injured one. Taking out the flask again, he poured some of it straight onto the wound. I cried out and tried to yank my hand back to my chest, but he held it still. Taking the cloth that he had wiped my face with, he began wrapping it around my hand slowly, while keeping eye contact. After it had been wrapped, he made a knot and brought his mouth down to grab one end of the cloth while his hand that had been holding mine, grabbed the other end. He pulled the knot tight and tucked in the ends of the frayed black cloth into the wrapped part. I stared openly at him. I've got to give him some credit, he had nerve. Unfortunately, so did I. I was just about to land him one when he held his hand up in the air, silencing me.

"What?" I asked. He shushed me.

"Excuse me?" I felt my anger build up almost uncontrollably. "You just tied me up, poured...whatever it was, all over my face and hand, and now you won't even answer me?"

"Quiet Emma." Hook shushed again, listening. If I had been smart, I would've listened too, but I let my anger take control.

"Like hell. Answer me Hook or I swear I'm going to-" Hook brought his good hand up to my mouth and held it there, his gaze tense. I was about to bite him when he took his hand away slowly, trusting me to be quiet. He brought his finger up to his lips, silently telling me to be quiet again. I listened this time, forgetting what an idiot he was for a moment and focusing on the sounds echoing around us. I almost gasped when I heard two voices talking. Hook shot up and immediately stomped out the fire until it was just a pile of burnt wood and ashes. While he was doing that, I moved my hands to the binds on my legs, releasing them. I winced at the ache that spread about my middle, almost forgetting that I had cracked a rib. Now that I noticed it though, every breath I took in was jagged and sharp and hurt. Hook crouched down next to me and we listened.

"The queen said that she wants those two alive." The first voice mumbled, his tone rough and deep.

"Why? They're just minor criminals." The other one asked. His voice was much lighter and held a friendly tone to it, despite his position.

"She doesn't seem to think so. I pity the soldiers that had let them get away."

"I don't think I've ever seen so many hearts taken in a day."

"You're lucky she hadn't crushed yours when she took it all those years ago."

"Lucky isn't a word I would use to describe it. I was forced to stay the same age until I got it back, and that was only recently."

"Be happy that you even got it back. Honestly, I don't know what she sees in you; you're only a huntsman."

"But I'm a good one. Are we sure that they went this way?"

"I don't know, you're the huntsman. If you're such a good one, how could you have let Snow White get away all those years ago?" The second voice sighed at the first guard's question. I felt my ears perk up. This was the man that had spared my mom. I almost moved when I realized how stupid that would be. I couldn't give away our location.

"She didn't deserve to die." Was all the huntsman offered. The first man didn't ask anymore questions as they continued on down the path. When I was certain that they were far enough away, I stood up and began pacing, holding an arm to my middle. If your heart was taken out...you stayed the same age? Dad had told me about how age effected everyone here in the enchanted forest. It didn't have much effect. My parents still looked young. They barely had a gray hair on their head. The fact that taking out a heart altogether could stop the aging process stunned me. He hadn't mentioned that. Probably because it was dark magic, but still. How much didn't I know? How much hadn't I been told? If that was the same huntsman that saved my mother, maybe he could help? I shook away the thought almost as quickly as it came. Having Hook come along with me was already challenging enough. Too many thoughts built up in my mind, almost making me dizzy.

"Are you alright love?" Hook asked curiously. I snapped out of my thoughts and looked at him, nodding.

"Yeah, I'm good." I said, running a hand across my forehead. I needed to speak with that huntsman. That thought was clear and didn't confuse me. I felt like I did need to talk to him. I had to.

"Well then, we need to wrap those ribs up." He said. My gaze flickered over to him dangerously.

"And by 'we' I mean you." He said, holding out a long cloth out towards me. Where was he keeping all of this stuff? I took the cloth and walked further into the forest. When I was certain that I was far enough away from prying eyes, I took off my tunic, examining the bruise across my ribs. The cloth that was already wrapped around my chest was somewhat constricting, but I'd rather have it be constricting than have to worry about my...ahem...lady parts. I took the cloth that Hook gave me and wrapped it around my bruise, tying it tight enough so it held in place, but not tight enough to hurt me too terribly. I slipped back into my tunic, suddenly feeling a hundred percent better, even though I was far from that. I walked back to where Hook had been and saw him standing there, waiting for me.

"Took you long enough. That was fun, wasn't it?" He asked, smiling. I suddenly remembered my promise to myself for when I got free. Hook seemed to read what I was about to do and his smile fell.

"Emma..." I threw a punch to his face, letting my anger out.

**And that's it for this chapter. It seems we now have the huntsman in the mix.:) I'm so excited you guys. Leave a review! They make me happy! :)**


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